Monday, December 31, 2012

Best Memories of 2012

Tonight on Twitter dear sweet @JiffSimpson was sharing tweets of her Best Memories of 2012. She has recently had a tough time with the loss of her husband. I know that when you focus on your blessings it helps to ease the pain. So I took the idea from her for this blog post.

This year has been one of the hardest years for me personally. There were family challenges that hurt me deeply. My father passed away in August. So many of my friends have lost loved ones recently. It's been a really hard year for loss but I know I'm really blessed and and wanted to share some of my best moments of this year.

January
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The last few years for my birthday my husband and I take a little getaway trip for my birthday to Ocean Shores. I love going to the Ocean. I can spend hours on the beach looking for rocks or sea glass. I love the peaceful feeling I get when I'm there.

This a picture that was taken from our room. He's laughing because he just grabbed my boob before the picture took.

We took at trip to the Bay Area to visit my friend Charla and her husband Tom.

Hubby and I with the Golden Gate Bridge in the Background.

Charla and me. I miss her so much! Sometimes busy lives and lack of money get in the way.

February

I took a trip to Utah to visit my sister for the weekend. It was very pretty when it snowed.

I did a sexy photo shoot for hubby for Valentines Day! It was so fun and liberating to do!

I'm very blessed that I live in a beautiful place close to the water and often get to enjoy beautiful sunsets.

My Mother's Day Flower Baskets

June

Went to see Daughtry with @tipsy_daisy

Vegas Baby with my hubby!

Vegas Baby with the respectable picture of the girls: @rikki_dd, @Dangrdafne, @josievamp, @blue_darcy, @musingbella, @libbybelle523, me and @musingbella's friend. I don't have permission to post the "un-respectable" picture. We had a lot of fun!

I was one of the moderators at the TwiFic Meetup. I gave a fic diving workshop.

Fun Times with the TwiFic Meetup gals. I loved meeting some of my favorite writers, my Twitter Friends and making new friends.

@Dangerdafne and me! She is truly one of the special people in this world. I'm blessed that she is my friend.

July

Going to the beach after work to read is one of my favorite things to do in the summer.

Out at dinner on my mom's birthday. My little guy loves crab!

August

Me and couple of my girlfriends at our 25th High School Reunion!

We took my little guy to the circus! He loved the elephants the best.

Me and my dad. My dad passed away on August 25, 2012. He was a great man! My Dad started life from humble beginnings in Penang, Malaysia. He came to America in 1959 on a USIA Fulbright Scholarship Program to complete his undergraduate degree and had scholarships to finish medical school. He was an example of with hard work and dedication you can achieve the American Dream. He loved my mom and sister and I very much! I miss him.

September

We needed a quick getaway and hubby made a platform bed in the Element for camping. So this was our trial run. It needs some tweeks before we try it out again. Concept is good but sleeping so close to the ceiling kinda wigged me out a bit.

hubby and I sitting by the river.

@tipsy_daisy and I heading in to see Incubs

Getting a hug from Icy aka E.L. James was a serious squeee moment of the year!

October﻿

For hubby's birthday and our 24th wedding anniversary we took a trip up to Victoria, BC. We had the best time doing not much of anything!

Pretty sunset view from our condo.

Loved mornings out on the deck drinking tea and writing.

The hot tub was relaxing too!

Foggy day at LaPush Baby!

Foooorks 2013 with the Twitard gals. These girls are my people! They get me and I get them! I'm blessed to have them in my life! So grateful for the Twitarded bloggers; Jenny Jerkface, Latchey Wife, and Snarkier than You. Their blog brought us together! They couldn't make it this year. :( We missed them but what a legacy of forever friendships that they started!

Saw Wicked with some of my girls!

Saw Wicked again with my daughter and @tipsy_daisy

November

I got meet and greet tickets for my friend Patty and I to see Blue October. Meeting Justin Furstenfeld from was a highlight of my year! I was so excited to meet him! He was so gracious and humble!

We took another weekend trip to Ocean Shores with my mom. It was a nice weekend away.

You know grief is a funny emotion. You never know when it will hit you. I found this sign in a gift shop in Ocean Shores and just started crying. My dad used to sing "You are my Sunshine" to my daughter when she was a baby. It took me a few minutes to get my composure but I was glad I had the moment. The sign now hangs in my living room.

@tipsy_daisy and I had a little party prior to seeing Breaking Dawn Part 2. @tipsy_daisy had the brilliant idea for us to rent the party room at the theater so our group could get in first and have pick of the seats. She's so smart!

Me and @tipsy_daisy! I love this picture of us!

Me after another viewing of Breaking Dawn Part 2. I've only seen it 4 times and cried every time! What a shock the ending was! I wasn't like Alice and I didn't see it coming! What an ending to the saga. The credits made me cry seeing the pictures of the actors and how many of them I have been able to see in person or meet at conventions. Twilight is the only book that have changed my life except for scriptures. It's because of the fandom and all of the friends I have made because of reading the book and finding fanfiction. It's crazy but it's my life!

December

I was really excited to start December off by going to see Elf the Musical. It was cute however, I was a bit disappointed in the music. The guy who played Buddy was awesome!

Like good grandparents, we took the boy to see Santa! On our way there he said that he wanted to see Santa's workshop at the North Pole. I told him we were going the mall. The boy told me that he didn't want to see Santa at the mall but at the North Pole! I told him that it was too cold for us to go to the North Pole and they were too busy to have guest. That satisfied him...whew! :) It only took 2 1/2 of standing in line. Our little man told Santa he wanted a Batman toy. While standing in line I found out that Santa bought him the wrong Batman toy. So on Christmas Eve Santa had to make a special trip to buy the correct one.

Merry Christmas! As grandparents sometimes we go overboard! We can't help it!

Santa brought me lots of Twilight loot! I wonder if this will be my last year of getting Twilight stuff for Christmas.

Hubby and I Christmas morning. This was our first year as empty nesters on Christmas. I have to say it was kind of nice to have an easy going morning and nothing was rushed. I'm glad we had the time together with just the two of us but it was fun to have the boy over later to open all of his presents. He was sooo excited for his police car and his batman toy!

As you can see, I have a lot to be thankful for. It was really fun going through my pictures from this year. I hope you enjoyed it and will take the opportunity to reflect on your year.

I'm looking forward to 2013. I'm heading to Houston in a couple of weeks. Portland, OR for Twitard meetup tentatively in March or the fall, Chicago for TwiFic Meetup in June, and Hawaii with some Twitards and my 25th Wedding Anniversary in September. I'm sure we will have a trip out to Ocean Shores or weekend camping trip away sometime too! I'm excited for the new year! Excited to spend quality time with my family, see friends, take some risk, and enjoy new experiences! I hope y'all have a very wonderful and blessed 2013!

That was such a nice re-cap of your 2012! The one about your dad made me misty-eyed as my dad has been gone for 5 yrs (this July). It just shows you that your dad is around you and he wanted to validate it.